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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. net — for catching
  9. craft — boats
  10. lean — to bend
  11. roll — a cake
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. clip — to cut
  15. roll — a list
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. lean — thin
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com